> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.relayapp.im/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Watch a chat live

> Watch messages and replies for a saved agent in a terminal.

Watch messages and replies for a saved agent in a terminal.

## Before you start

* Use Node.js `22.22.3` or newer.
* Use an interactive terminal when a command asks for input.

## Open the live view

Save an agent with Connect or authentication first. Keep its runtime running.

```bash theme={null}
relaymessenger watch
```

You can pass a saved handle as the optional argument. The view only watches; the runtime still receives events. Press `q` to leave. Watch needs a terminal.

```bash theme={null}
npx relaymessenger watch
```

`--profile` selects the profile. A script, pipe, or `--json` returns without the live view. Press Ctrl-C to leave.

The read-only view uses `observe=true` and requires `observational: true`. It sends neither ACKs nor `full_sync_complete`; your runtime remains the consumer.

[Connect a runtime](/integrations/claude-code) · [Observe events](/websocket/observe-events)

## What you get back

Captured with `relaymessenger`. Help output describes the command; it does not prove a live reply.

```text captured-output theme={null}
Usage: relaymessenger watch [options] [handle]

see messages arrive and replies go out, live

Arguments:
  handle      the agent to watch

Options:
  -h, --help  help

Docs: https://docs.relayapp.im
Report a problem: https://github.com/RelayMessenger/Relay-SDK/issues
```

[Generated watch reference](/cli/watch)

## When it fails

Use the [exit-code table](/cli/reference/help#exit-codes) to distinguish input, missing resources, and authentication failures. Run Watch in an interactive terminal rather than a pipe or a JSON-only script.

## Next steps

* [Send a message](/messages/send)
* [Read chat history](/chats/history)
* [Debug a request](/live/debugging)